The Hijab Project: Troubling Conceptions of Agency and Piety through Community-Engaged Art Making

Abstract

This article focuses on The Hijab Project, a collective art exhibit that was created by a Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) collective to address assumptions about Muslim women and girls who veil. The art project used data from a survey collect at Mount Top High, a suburban public high school in Utah, to inform the need for a public intervention that addressed issues of Islamophobia during a time of contentious political climate in the United States. Using transnational feminism to think about concepts of agency and piety, the article contends that, despite traditional framing of Muslim women as passive victims, through their artwork, the girls in this research group prove that religiosity and choice are not dichotomous. Lastly, this piece argues that The Hijab Project represents a successful example of critical community-engaged scholarship by demonstrating that partnerships between community members and universities can be a force for civic engagement and social change.

A discursive analysis of Hijab removal: Identity and piety

“…On one hand, they are committed to performing Islamic teaching doctrine by wearing a veil, and on the other hand, they redefine the hijab which is commonly viewed as old fashioned and traditional (Nuroniyah 2019) ( (Saraswati 2019. Additionally, the hijab is also seen as the act of rejection of modernity (Anatunes 2022). The mushrooming of veiled women also shows that hijabi (women wearing hijab) is one of the popular pieties in Indonesia among hijrah movements, Arabism, and dakwahtainment (Wildan and Witriani 2021).…”

Accusations of Islamophobia and Radicalism Against Muslim Women in Hijab in Indonesia: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…In Indonesia, hijabi women have faced accusations of Islamophobia and radicalism. These allegations have sparked debate about the role of the hijab in Indonesian society and the treatment of Muslim women who choose to wear it [21], [22]. Some view the hijab as a symbol of oppression and radicalism, while others see it as a personal choice and a symbol of religious devotion [23]- [25] A number of studies have explored the issue of Islamophobia and the experiences of hijabi women in different contexts [26]- [28].…”